Game Of Thrones: The Best Episode From Every Season

8. Baelor (S1E9)

Game of Thrones first made a name for itself for, among other things, its complete disregard for the lives of its main characters. The likes of Robert and Joffrey Baratheon, Robb and Catelyn Stark, and Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen were all unceremoniously killed, but for those not privy to the twists and turns of George R. R. Martin's source material, the death of Ned Stark was the first big shock of the series.

This rocked fans' worlds, and threw the rulebook out the window. If Ned Stark could die so easily in just the first season, what else would the show have in store?

'Baelor' kicked off the supposed theory that the ninth episode of each season would be the best, with Robb securing his crossing of the Trident, the revelation of Maester Aemon's surname, Drogo falling from his horse, the Battle of the Camps, and Jaime Lannister being taken at the Whispering Wood.

All of this would have made a strong episode for certain, but it was the beheading of Eddard Stark at the command of Joffrey Baratheon that put it at the top of the pile. Not only was it genuinely shocking, it set in motion the events essentially for the rest of the entire series.